Subaru's First EV Slated For 2021

Add Subaru to the ever-growing list of automakers working on a battery electric vehicle. The company says it is in the beginning stages of working on its first electric vehicle, which will be due out around 2021.

Today’s news out of AutoExpressechoes previous comments made by Subaru CEO Yasuyuki Yoshinaga, in which he stated the plan is to leverage Subaru’s hybrid system as a springboard to create a fully-electric version of one of the company’s existing models.

Given Subaru’s relatively small R&D budget versus mega automakers, the company feels it can save costs by electrifying an existing model on its Global Platform architecture. It isn’t yet known which current model Subaru is looking to electrify or if the company will electrify more than one model by the 2021 time frame.

The all-electric model is a rather large addition to Subaru’s already busy powertrain development process. The company will be launching new hybrid versions of some of its products by the end of 2018 while a new, small displacement turbocharged engine will arrive sometime in 2019.

About Nick Saporito

AutoVerdict Senior Editor Nick Saporito began writing about cars at age 13. Nick ran a couple of automotive enthusiast sites for several years, before taking some time off to focus on his career and education. By day he's a marketing executive in the telecom world and by night he hangs out here at AV. You'll find him focusing on tech, design and the industry's future.